High Blood Pressure (HBP)

High blood pressure, also called hypertension affects 1 in 3 adults. Do you know your numbers? Do you what a normal reading is? Optimal is 120/80.  More precise classification is as follows:

  Normal 120-129/80-84

  High normal 130-139/85-89

  Mild 140-159/90-99

  Moderate 160-179/100-109

  Severe over 180/110

For more accurate measures of your blood pressure and what affects it consider home blood pressure monitoring. Buy a blood pressure monitor for home use. Wrist and arm monitors are available at retail stores, drugstores, and local medical supply stores.

Record your blood pressure readings daily starting with morning, midday, and night. Make a note of your activity and how you are feeling. You may notice that extreme anxiety makes it go up. The correlation to your pressure will help you manage the things that make it go up. Share your results with your doctor so medication and lifestyle changes can be made if necessary.

You may find that while your blood pressure is high in the doctor's office, it may be normal in everyday activity. Remember, the doctor's result is a one time reading every one to four or more months. With normal home results, and high results at your doctor visits you may have "white coat" hypertension http://bit.ly/1cGaeMj . There is much controversy over whether this should be treated. Check with your cardiologist.

If your blood pressure is borderline at 130/85, you want o start a low salt diet. The best is the DASH diet (http://bit.ly/hnbsL). Exercise, weight control, and stress reduction are other things to include in your treatment plan. For higher blood pressure readings over 140/90, medication may be necessary. Take your home blood pressure results in to your doctor. This will help in deciding on the best treatment for you.


by J.L. Richardson, MD, author of the Patient Handbook to Medical Care: Your Personal Health Guide.

No Insurance or Cash, No Medical Care

Doctors today are faced with so many issues that divert their attention from their patients. One of these is payment for services.  If a patient has no health insurance, cash or credit card, that patient will go without, or seek medical care at the ER and pay later. As physicians are faced with so many diversions like increasing patient visits and "paper work" (computer, phones, etc.) primarily associated with insurance issues, many are taking cash only.  Cash only secures immediate payment without paper pushing.  This decreases overhead as well because less staff is needed.  More doctors are finding this the preferred way to do business. 

Patients with insurance are already finding that some doctors are not taking any insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid.  Why?  Reimbursement rates for their services are getting less each year thereby decreasing overall income, and profit to run their office. The overwhelming amount of “paper work” is taking more time and often requires more staff.  Without this more time is spent in patient care.  This is what most doctors find rewarding – more time with patient care and doing what they do best, taking care of their patients.

Yes, you must pay to see your doctor and other health care providers, but how you pay may determine the availability.  Cash allows you to see who you want to see.  Health insurance usually has provider networks of who they want you to see.  Should you want to see an out of network doctor that you know, or feel would be better for you, you still have to pay for services rendered.  Even with health insurance cash/ credit is required for deductibles and co-payments.

The bottom line remains, no cash or health insurance, no medical care.  At least with health insurance, you are covered especially if a major medical malady occurs like surgery http://bit.ly/1hwqnpX or chronic disease.  If you have the cash you’re covered.  If not, get covered.  Great health is true wealth.

Best health! http://amzn.to/13m51UU